Deck of playing cards



1951 G. A. THOMPSON ETAL 2,569,701

DECK 0F PLAYING CARDS Filed Jan. 12, 1948 JNVENTOR. flea/ye 4. 7770/27 00 By fi/p/r flay? .4 Tram 5x5 3N0 A// may Patented Oct. 2, 1951 DECK OF PLAYING CARDS George A. Thompson and Ralph Hagen, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application January 12, 1948, Serial No. 1,698

This invention relates to a deck of playing cards, and to a game to be played therewith.

It is an object of the invention to provide a novel and entertaining game, and a deck of cards bearing suitable designations thereon for use in playing the game, said game combining several features of a card game with several features of the game of golf.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel and entertaining game, and a deck of cards to be used in the game, together with instructions 'for playing the game, said game having an appeal for those persons who enjoy the game of golf and also having instructive value in teaching beginners the elements of the game of golf.

, These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the ensuing description and the appended claims.

In accordance with the invention, thereis provided a deck of cards, comprising a plurality of groups or suits of cards, each such group of cards comprising a plurality of individual cards each of which bears a common designation of a hole of a golf course, and which further bear a variety of designations to indicate the strokes taken on the designated holes. In the preferred embodiinent of the invention, the deck of cards is also provided with a plurality of wild cards, the nature and purpose of which are explained hereinafter.

The invention will be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings and to the instructions set forth hereinafter.

Referring now to the drawings:

Fig. 1 represents a set of hole cards.

Fig. 2 represents a set of wild cards.

Fig. 3 represents the nineteenth hole card.

Referring now to the various figures of the drawings, there is provided a set of hole cards 20, only three of which are shown. Each hole card 20 is in the form of a conventional card blank, bearing on the face thereof any suitable, centrally located decorative design 2| and bearing in the upper left-hand corner a hole designation 22, a score designation 23 and a par designation 24. As in the case of conventional playing cards, similar, but inverted designations are provided in the lower right-hand corner, so that the card may be easily read whichever end is uppermost. For purposes of brevity, only three such hole cards 20 are shown.

Referring now to Fig. 2 of the drawings, there is also provided a set of wild cards 30, each bearing a centrally located ornamental design 2|, as

2 Claims. (Cl. 273152.31)

in the case of the hole cards 20, and also bearing golf terms 3| such as Hole in One, Eagle, etc., and a designation 32 indicating the strokes corresponding to such term.

Referring now to Fig. 3, there is shown what is known a the nineteenth hole card, the pur pose and function of which will be explained hereinafter.

The full deck of cards, the rules of play and the manner in which the play is carried out will now be explained in detail with reference to the preferred embodiment of the invention.

THE DECK The deck comprises a total of 74 cards, divided into two major groups, known, respectively, as hole cards and wild cards. Of the hole cards, there are nine sub groups or suits corresponding to the nine holes of a nine-hole golf course. The complete set of hole cards is set forth in Table I, below.

Table I.Hole cards P D Strokes N f ar es- 0. 0 Hole Designation ignation Cards 4 2 2 l 1 6 4 2 l 2 1 6 4 2 1 2 l 6 4 1 l 1 l 4 4 l 1 l l 4 4 l 1 1 l 4 4 2 l 2 1 6 4 2 l' 2 l 16 4 2 2 l l 6 Total No. of hole cards 48 The full set of wild cards is given m Table II below:

Table II.W2Zd cards Designation Strokes 6 3 1;;

Hole in one 1 -1 Eagle 2 2 3 3 4 3 y 5 3 6 3 T p 7 3 8 2 b 9 2 Stymie l0 2 Blow up l1 1 N incteenth hole 5 1 Total N o. of hole cards 26 Referring to Table I, there are in a full deck of cards a group or suit of six hole one cards, each having a par or 4. Two of these have a stroke designation of 4, two have a stroke designation of 5, one has a stroke designation of 1, and one has a stroke designation of 7. Similarly, of the six hole two cards, all have a par of 4, two have a stroke designation of 4, one has a stroke designation of 1, etc.

THE OBJECT The object is to play nine rounds of hands corresponding to the nine holes, with the lowest possible score (number of strokes). The play, as in golf, may be medal play, counting the total score, or match play, counting the holes won THE DEAL Two, three or four persons may play witha single deck of cards, and when four are playing the play may be individual or by partners. After the cards have been suitably shuffled, they are dealt out until one player is dealt a birdie. This player becomes the first dealer, after which the deal rotates to the left for each successive hand. After the dealer has been determined and the cards have been reshuflled, the cards are dealt face down, one at a time, beginning with the player at the left of the dealer, until each player has nine cards. The undealt cards are then placed on the center of the table, face down.

THE PLAY To commence play, the player to the left of the dealer draws the top card from the undealt deck, and then exposes his lowest card for hole one. In choosing a card to expose, the player may expose either a card dealt to him or the card drawn from the deck, and he may expose either a hole card or a wild card, with the exception of the nineteenth hole card. After playing, the player must then discard, face up, any card from his hand alongside the undealt deck. The play then continues to the player next to'the left, and the same procedure is followed except that each player, in turn, has the privilege of drawing either from the undealt deck or from the card discarded and exposed by the previous player.

If, for any reason, a player is unable to play a given hole, for example, after choosing a card from the discard or undealt deck, if his hand does not contain an appropriate hole and contains no wild card, the player must then discard two cards from his hand and take a penalty score of 11 on the hole being played.

When the play, having proceeded in this fashion, has returned to the first player, the second hole is played similarly, then the third hole, etc., until all nine holes have been played. The play on each hole is final, regardless of the fact that a player, after having played a hole, may subsequently draw a better card for that hole.

. The function of the nineteenth hole card is as follows: If a player holds this card, then, when it is his turn to play, he must expose it but retain it in his possession, i. e., must not place it on the discard. When he is able to play a hole in one, an eagle, or a birdie card, he passes the nineteenth hole card to the player at his left, who in turn tries to dispose of it in the same manner. The player in possession of the nineteenth hole card at the end of the game is penalized five strokes.

The 9 hole deck described above may be used to play an eighteen-hole game, merely by playing two games with the nine hole deck.

It will be understood, of course, that the game may be played, and the deck of cards may be ,modifiedaccordingly, so as not to use any wild cards or to use a lesser number than indicated. Further, as willbe apparent, the score indications and par for the given holes may be varied to suit the taste of the players.

It is apparent that there has thus been provided a deck of cards and a game which combine the features of golf with several features of conventional card games, and that the game has added value in instructing one in the rules of golf.

While the preferred form of the invention has been shown, it is to be understood that various changes may be made in its construction by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus describedour invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A deck of cards, comprising a. plurality of groups or suits of cards, each group comprising a plurality of individual cards bearing a common designation of a hole of a golf course and a common designation of Dar for the said hole, each card also bearing a designation of the strokes taken on the said hole, the said stroke designations being so apportioned among the cards of the group as to provide cards designating a plurality of different strokes.

2. A deck of cards as in claim 3, including also a plurality of groups of Wild cards, each consisting of at least one card, the card or cards of any one group bearing a common designation of a golf term indicative of a score other than par, and the said groups collectively representing a plurality of such golf terms.

GEORGE A. THOMPSON. RALPH HAGEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

340,045 Great Britain Dec. 24, 1930 

